Now, when you first open the package, what you find might startle or surprise you. The box contains two oatmeal packets, each a frozen puck-like column. This is maybe not the most appetizing thing to look at, but the packaging does seem to do what it needs to — basically, it keeps this oatmeal in one piece while it sits in the freezer.

Trader Joe’s recommends cooking this oatmeal in the microwave. In fact, they don’t offer any cooking instructions besides the microwave version. That means that this is intended to be a fast, easy, early-morning treat. (If you want the full cooking instructions, check out our package scans at the bottom of this article.)

Now, there’s really not much to any oatmeal dish, and this one is certainly no exception. It’s a dish full of mushy oats and salt, and that’s pretty much it. Of course, the oats here are quite good, so that’s not a complaint.

Trader Joe’s did put some work into making this a more exciting breakfast by adding some brown sugar and maple syrup to the mix. Now, if we were given a plain bowl of oatmeal, those are probably the first two things we would instinctively add to it. However, Trader Joe’s was not generous with the syrup or sugar portion, so the sweetness is much more subtle than we’d like. If you’re an oatmeal purist who doesn’t like a whole load of extras tossed into your bowl, then this might satisfy you. If you are like us and have a sweet tooth, you might find yourself adding a bit more syrup to bring this up to snuff.

One individually wrapped packet is considered a serving, and each is fairly small. A packet contains 150 calories (20 from fat) and 40 mg of sodium. We won’t blame you if you end up eating both packets in a single sitting, and even if you do, those calories are still fairly low.

The Trader Joe’s Steelcut Oatmeal is a simple, low-calorie breakfast that lovers of oatmeal will enjoy. However, we think there could have been just a tad more maple syrup to give it the level of sweetness we like. Still, if all you need is a simple, fast, low-calorie breakfast, then this oatmeal has you covered.

To learn more about the nutrition content, ingredients, or cooking instructions for this Trader Joe’s oatmeal, check out our package scans below.